The President and the Postal Service

By
Ed O'Keefe

President Obama speaks on Tuesday during a town hall meeting about health-care reform efforts in Portsmouth, N.H. (AP)

President Obama made what his advisers believe were his first public comments on the U.S. Postal Service on Tuesday, basically knocking its performance during his health-care-themed town hall in New Hampshire.

He said an audience member raised a "legitimate concern" about how a government-run health-care program might affect private insurers.

"My answer is that if the private insurance companies are providing a good bargain, and if the public option has to be self-sustaining -- meaning taxpayers aren't subsidizing it, but it has to run on charging premiums and providing good services and a good network of doctors, just like any other private insurer would do -- then I think private insurers should be able to compete. They do it all the time."

Then he invoked the Postal Service:

"I mean, if you think about it, UPS and FedEx are doing just fine, right? No, they are. It's the post office that's always having problems."

That comment provoked laughter from the audience.

Asked to clarify, the White House said Obama was pointing out that while core Postal Service services are different from those offered by UPS and FedEx, it has not undermined the competitive spirit of the private shipping industry.

"It’s been public for some time that the Postal Service’s fiscal path is unsustainable," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said when asked about the president's generally dismissive remarks. "It has been struggling due to unprecedented reductions in mail volume, and the effect of the economic crisis has made things worse." Psaki was unaware of any previous public comments made by Obama about the Postal Service or its financial woes.

The White House supports the House and Senate measures designed to provide short-term relief to the Postal Service and plans to work with lawmakers on long-term solutions, Psaki said.

Asked for comment, Postal Service spokeswoman Joanne Veto acknowledged that the president appeared to have made an offhand comment but said, "We don't doubt that the Obama administration supports us."

Still ... to have the president poke fun at your financial situation in his first public comments about your agency? Yeah, not good.

I for one think the Postal Service is an essential part of America. I have always been troubled by the insistence of previous administrations and Congress that the Postal Service be self-supporting. If that model were to prevail, too many small communities would be without service. Also, I doubt folks would want to pay the prices UPS and FedEx would charge when there is no "competition" from the USPS.

"Now, I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role [regulatory frameworks] played in that. But I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the [President] acted stupidly in [commenting on the USPS in relation to UPS and FedEx] when there was already proof that [comparisons like these don't equate]; and, number three, what I think we know, separate and apart from this incident, is that there's a [recent] history in this country of [President Obama] being [embarrassed] by [facts] disproportionately. That's just a fact."

Don't deride my Postal Service which is doing a heck of a job despite the continued espansion of their mission statement.

So UPS and FedEx are superior to the USPS, says Obama. The basic problem is that the postal service is running a race that requires it to carry a forty pound backpack while the competitors have no such handicap.

For example much of the expenses incurred by the Service are related to the act of circular (junk mail) distribution at deeply subsidized rates to the originator. Maybe this is good for business, political parties and the vast delicatesen of users but it scarcely pays its way and demands enormous resources to do this thankless job.

Passport issuance? How much of this is done for us by UPS and Fedex?

It is common place to hear Americans deride the Postal Service as snail mail but this user prefers to think of it as secure mail. With my E-mails and communication on the internet one has speed but one can never be really confident of security.

I for one am very well satisfied with the service by my USPS but I am unhappy with the garbage left in my box and the knowledge that I am being forced to subsidize it.

Again Obama doesn't know whereof he speaks and Americans are right to question the contents of a bill of 385 pages knowing he and our Senators/Congressmen haven't a clue either but depended upon their lobbyists to do the writing. And apparently if the lobbyists are ok with its contents we are ok as well.

Believe it or now even the U.S. has finite resources and this mother of entitlements should not be enacted in haste now simply to fulfill another wild, irresponsible Obama campaign promise.

The promise this voter would like to see met is to get the heck out of Afghanistan but instead it seems Obama is bent on an open-ended escalation that is doomed from the outset.

In sum if his judgement is this poor on Afghanistan why should Americans trust him with respect to a radicalectomy of American medicine?

Someone put Potter or Donohoe in a cab over to Rahm's office to explain why it is inappropriate and unbecoming for POTUS to publicly punk USPS in the same sentence he mentions FedEx and UPS. The powerpoint deck could tell the story in two slides or less: break-even, universal service with year-long rate cases vs for-profit, high margin, flexible rate-setting, parcel delivery. No comparison.

The difference here is basic apples and oranges stuff here -- familiar to most every Washington politico, except, apparently, President Obama.

More than two thirds of the American people want a single payer health care system. And if they cant have a single payer system 76% of all Americans want a strong government-run public option on day one (85% of democrats, 71% of independents, and 60% of republicans). Basically everyone.

AND NO INSURANCE MANDATES WITHOUT A STRONG GOVERNMENT-RUN PUBLIC OPTION ON DAY ONE! An insurance mandate without a strong government-run public option choice on day one, would be a DISASTER! And it would be worse than the GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT HEALTH INSURANCE HORROR! SHOW you have now. YOU MUST MAKE CERTAIN!! THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN AMERICA.

The healthcare reform bills released by the first two committees of the House Of Representatives are excellent bills as I understand them. They are bills with a strong, robust, government-run public option, and an intelligent, reasonable initial funding plan to cover almost all of the American people. They are carefully written, and thoughtfully constructed, informed, prudent and wise. These bills will save trillions of dollars, and millions of your lives. They are also now supported by the AMA.

These are the type of bills that all Americans can feel good about. And these are the type of bills that have the potential to dramatically improve the quality of healthcare for all Americans. Rich, middle class and poor a like. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and all other party affiliations. These bills have the potential to dramatically improve the quality of life of every American.

The house healthcare bills released by the first two committees should be viewed as the minimum GOLD STANDARD by which all other proposed healthcare legislation should be judged. All supporters of true high quality healthcare reform should now place all your support behind these healthcare reform bills released by the first two committees of the United States House Of Representatives, as the minimum Gold standard for healthcare reform in America.

You should all now support the first two committees bills with all your might, and all of your unrelenting tenacity. These first two House committees healthcare bills are VERY, VERY GOOD! bills for all of the American people. Fight tooth, and nail for every bit of these bills if you have too. Be aggressive, creative, and relentless for these bills.

From this time forward, go BIGGER and DEEPER with the American people every day until passage of healthcare reform with a robust, government-run public option.

FIGHT!! like your life and the lives of your loved ones depends on it. BECAUSE IT DOES!

Let's require UPS and FEDEX to open and maintain an office in every community in the country like the Postal Service. Let's require UPS and FEDEX to prefund their retiree health benefits at astronomical rates like the Postal Service. Then let's compare the three institutions.

It is ironic that the Health Care debate is where the President mentions the Postal Service when it is prefunding health care benefits that is putting it out of business.

President Obama in probably what was probably the only truthful statment in his remarks admitted that the federal government cannot operate an efficient,competitive postal service when faced with private competitors. The Federal government cannot run a railroad, Amtrak, mortgage operations, Freddie, Fannie, Ginnie or any other business, such a one selling only booze and sexual favors in Nevada, it went bankrupt after being seized by the IRS. No socialized country runs a single payer heath care system efficiently, effectively, providing the best care-not rationed care- to all its citizens. In fact rationed care is the heart of all government single payer care systems with bureaucrats deciding and making the decision.

Jack Smith, call your office. Your statistics on the number supporting this travesty called health care reform, oh wait, scratch that, now it's so-called health insurance reform, are way off. I think it's hilarious that Obama advocates for government health care while at the same time pointing out how badly government-run postal service is doing. Priceless. I guess when he's off the teleprompter he is subject to such boo-boos.

Are UPS AND Fed Ex required to go door to door? Are they required to pay into a retirement system years in advance? Does Congress and a postal commission tell them what they can charge and when to charge it? Maybe the Postal Service needs some reform but DO NOT compare us to a dissimilar system of delivery!

Mandates should be omitted.
True - it'll take a few years for women to realize a FREE mammogram every 3 years is in their best interest (and LESS costly for taxpayers BEFORE cancer is too far gone)....but right now, women don't understand the positive benefits of mandates.

Again, Mr. Obama continues to show great showmanship or gamemanship by deriding the Postal Service. His lack of presidential gravitas is his forte. Comparing the USPS with the likes of FedEx and UPS is like comparing apples and oranges. Granted all are "fruits" the USPS is on a different mission. It was not meant to make to be profitable but to provide postal services especially in those underserve areas that neither FedEx nor UPS find profitable. I continue to admire our postal workers who are worked as "pack mules" in wretched weather and often times hostile areas. Mr. Obama, be the President and please act like one!

While FEDEX and UPS could never afford to deliver a letter as cheaply as the USPS if I had to sent a letter that was important with life and death consequences I would use Fedex not the Post Office. Obama wants to change our " Fedex healthcare" into Post Office healthcare.

Very disappointed in the Prsident's comments yesterday. Any opportunity the Postal Service had of garnering customers from UPS or FedEx was just nixed.
Not to mention he is wrong. UPS just reported a drop in earnings of 49% for the second quarter and FedEx dropped $776 million. Even if the USPS is down a few billion, it is proportionately the same as most businesses, as USPS brings in about $55 billion.
USPS delivers more mail in one day than FedEx delivers packages in an antire year.
The most disappointing aspect of this mess is that no one at the USPS will stand up for their brand.

Interesting to note here that the USPS has a MONOPOLY on door-to-door service...that's right folks, UPS and FedEx are by law FORBIDDEN to deliver first-class type mail, catalogs, etc. So many thanks to Obama for very elequently making the point we've been making about the public option - even when the government has a by statute monopoly on a service, they can't seem to execute it without blowing an enormous hole in the Federal budget. Bend the curve downward!? Whatever.

Jack Smith, You have GOT to be kidding. You are hoping to dissuade the American People from thinking that this march to Socialism is a bad idea by quoting the first openly Socialist US Senator, Bernie Sanders? You are helping to make our case! Keep it up!

And those statistics were a$$-backwards. According to Rasmussen Reports, Thirty-two percent (32%) of voters nationwide favor a single-payer health care system where the federal government provides coverage for everyone. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% are opposed to a single-payer plan.

And before you try claiming that Rasmussen is biased, read this quote: Douglas E. Schoen, a pollster for President William J. Clinton, says "Rasmussen Reports is one of America's most insightful and analytical sources of data and analysis on U.S. public opinion. They are fearlessly independent, always ahead of the curve, and offer unique insights unavailable anywhere else. I rely on them to keep me informed about what is happening today and is likely to happen tomorrow."

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I say civil war to stop people like Jack Smith. Second amendment rights, get your guns. Jack Smith and his crew of paycheck theives are trying to take ever cent you make in their effort to get a free ride.

Jack Smith-your stats are horrible; better check them out. And maybe you should take another look at what you think you read. Most is untelligible nonsense, with numerous cross-references. The bill is purposely vague so that the 40+ commissions it establishes can write the rules and regs without any knowledge or input from the American people. There is absolutely no need for a complete overhaul. Our health system is NOT broken as some would like you to believe, but does need some fixes, starting with eliminating the government quirks, portability, competition across state lines withotu govt intervention, etc. Obama is trying to defend a healthcare policy that doesn't exist yet and that alone should tell you a lot....he has something else in mind if it gets passed. Try not to act stupidly; sit down, have a beer, and read it again.

Those who are defending the Postal Service are missing the point. The USPS bleeds money. It has an unprofitable business model, and can only survive with a government subsidy. That's just a fact.

Now, that's not necessarily a reason to get rid of the USPS. The government loses money on almost everything, including the Marine Corps. No one expects the government to be profitable. If it were, it wouldn't need our taxes.

BUT... what the USPS shows us is that when the government performs a service, it doesn't do it cheaply. When the government gets involved, there are cost overruns and the whole thing is incredibly expensive. That's why we shouldn't listen to Obama when he says that his health care plans will save money. They won't. They'll be at least as far over-budget as the USPS is.

Firstly, I am a hard working city letter carrier for USPS and every payday I thank my customers for their financial support. Overall, we are here for the customers and I personally think that if we continue offering cheaper ways of shipping like Flat rate (If it fits it ships) for one low price, then we will continue be competitive with those other guys. Of coarse, like any other BIG business, gov't operated or not, you will come across errors, the main thing is you have to live and learn and move on and not make the same mistakes again. I believe in The United States Postal Service and take pride in knowing that the higher-ups in The USPS company don't act as though their perfect in all their endevors and can take responsibility for being wrong sometimes in their business plan. At the end of the day, we offer a great service for all americans and do it pridefully and thankfully for our customers, afterall it is our customers that make any business boom!!! Thank you!

as a 35 year plus government employee,22 currently with the us postal service,i have seen and eperienced many contrbuting factors that have gotten the postal service to where we are at now.i personally take offence to president obomas remarks posted in your article.i and we as the usps not only deliver the mail and packages entrusted to us.but we are the front line ambassadors for this great nation.our customers get a live person on a daily basis,not a computer generated system that takes the personal touch out of solving issues or problems.i know that we are an agency that has answers to our customer queries.we are the postal service,not the postal corporation.and in years past and under different managements we have teeter-tottered between these two styles.the corporation works,when management ran it so as bonuses and incentives could and were paid out to management,on the backs of the workers.then just like enron all of a sudden the red ink is in play.secondly years ago when i was first empolyed by the usps,they had excess monies.well congress saw this and got greedy,and changed th rules,thereby taking said monies and diverting to who knows what at the time.

additinally why is it that when an individual walks into a united parcel service store,and the end result is ups takes their money and then uses the postal service to deliver some of their items.ironicaly numerous time i have seen a parcel delivered to an vacant house by ups,this is something we dont do.i have personally retrieved these so as not to be stolen,returned them to my post office and them sit for days or weeks,because ups is embarassed to come pick there mistake.we have a program where we check on certain idividuals,so as to insure their safety and well being.these are elderly.homebound,invalids,etc.there is no doubt im my mind,that in an epidemic situation,we the usps,employees will be called on to insure our customers,receive whatever that may dispersed in an emergency.as a letter carrier i know that i am an ambassador for the government i love,and i reflect this always so my fellow americans, at least can have a feeling that their government does care about them.the hiarky of the usps in my opinion inflated numbers.took bonuses,and now we are in dire straights as they put it.i would like to know how much in bonuses to management was paid out in the last two years.maybe some of hose individuals should give back what maybe they didnot deserve,i will finish with this,my job as a letter carrier has been the most rewarding job i have ever had,and i donot mean financially.i help people and they help me,that what this country was and has been aboutfor two hundred plus years.i feel that give control back to the usps that absconded by congress,go back to the postal service,banish the postal corp concept,and let the front line,clerks and carriers do what we do best.get all the mail out every day,and staff every window that has no clerk at to help expide the customer at the counters experience.

additinally why is it that when an individual walks into a united parcel service store,and the end result is ups takes their money and then uses the postal service to deliver some of their items.ironicaly numerous time i have seen a parcel delivered to an vacant house by ups,this is something we dont do.i have personally retrieved these so as not to be stolen,returned them to my post office and them sit for days or weeks,because ups is embarassed to come pick there mistake.we have a program where we check on certain idividuals,so as to insure their safety and well being.these are elderly.homebound,invalids,etc.there is no doubt im my mind,that in an epidemic situation,we the usps,employees will be called on to insure our customers,receive whatever that may dispersed in an emergency.as a letter carrier i know that i am an ambassador for the government i love,and i reflect this always so my fellow americans, at least can have a feeling that their government does care about them.the hiarky of the usps in my opinion inflated numbers.took bonuses,and now we are in dire straights as they put it.i would like to know how much in bonuses to management was paid out in the last two years.maybe some of hose individuals should give back what maybe they didnot deserve,i will finish with this,my job as a letter carrier has been the most rewarding job i have ever had,and i donot mean financially.i help people and they help me,that what this country was and has been aboutfor two hundred plus years.i feel that give control back to the usps that absconded by congress,go back to the postal service,banish the postal corp concept,and let the front line,clerks and carriers do what we do best.get all the mail out every day,and staff every window that has no clerk at to help expide the customer at the counters experience.

additinally why is it that when an individual walks into a united parcel service store,and the end result is ups takes their money and then uses the postal service to deliver some of their items.ironicaly numerous time i have seen a parcel delivered to an vacant house by ups,this is something we dont do.i have personally retrieved these so as not to be stolen,returned them to my post office and them sit for days or weeks,because ups is embarassed to come pick there mistake.we have a program where we check on certain idividuals,so as to insure their safety and well being.these are elderly.homebound,invalids,etc.there is no doubt im my mind,that in an epidemic situation,we the usps,employees will be called on to insure our customers,receive whatever that may dispersed in an emergency.as a letter carrier i know that i am an ambassador for the government i love,and i reflect this always so my fellow americans, at least can have a feeling that their government does care about them.the hiarky of the usps in my opinion inflated numbers.took bonuses,and now we are in dire straights as they put it.i would like to know how much in bonuses to management was paid out in the last two years.maybe some of hose individuals should give back what maybe they didnot deserve,i will finish with this,my job as a letter carrier has been the most rewarding job i have ever had,and i donot mean financially.i help people and they help me,that what this country was and has been aboutfor two hundred plus years.i feel that give control back to the usps that absconded by congress,go back to the postal service,banish the postal corp concept,and let the front line,clerks and carriers do what we do best.get all the mail out every day,and staff every window that has no clerk at to help expide the customer at the counters experience.

additinally why is it that when an individual walks into a united parcel service store,and the end result is ups takes their money and then uses the postal service to deliver some of their items.ironicaly numerous time i have seen a parcel delivered to an vacant house by ups,this is something we dont do.i have personally retrieved these so as not to be stolen,returned them to my post office and them sit for days or weeks,because ups is embarassed to come pick there mistake.we have a program where we check on certain idividuals,so as to insure their safety and well being.these are elderly.homebound,invalids,etc.there is no doubt im my mind,that in an epidemic situation,we the usps,employees will be called on to insure our customers,receive whatever that may dispersed in an emergency.as a letter carrier i know that i am an ambassador for the government i love,and i reflect this always so my fellow americans, at least can have a feeling that their government does care about them.the hiarky of the usps in my opinion inflated numbers.took bonuses,and now we are in dire straights as they put it.i would like to know how much in bonuses to management was paid out in the last two years.maybe some of hose individuals should give back what maybe they didnot deserve,i will finish with this,my job as a letter carrier has been the most rewarding job i have ever had,and i donot mean financially.i help people and they help me,that what this country was and has been aboutfor two hundred plus years.i feel that give control back to the usps that absconded by congress,go back to the postal service,banish the postal corp concept,and let the front line,clerks and carriers do what we do best.get all the mail out every day,and staff every window that has no clerk at to help expide the customer at the counters experience.

additinally why is it that when an individual walks into a united parcel service store,and the end result is ups takes their money and then uses the postal service to deliver some of their items.ironicaly numerous time i have seen a parcel delivered to an vacant house by ups,this is something we dont do.i have personally retrieved these so as not to be stolen,returned them to my post office and them sit for days or weeks,because ups is embarassed to come pick there mistake.we have a program where we check on certain idividuals,so as to insure their safety and well being.these are elderly.homebound,invalids,etc.there is no doubt im my mind,that in an epidemic situation,we the usps,employees will be called on to insure our customers,receive whatever that may dispersed in an emergency.as a letter carrier i know that i am an ambassador for the government i love,and i reflect this always so my fellow americans, at least can have a feeling that their government does care about them.the hiarky of the usps in my opinion inflated numbers.took bonuses,and now we are in dire straights as they put it.i would like to know how much in bonuses to management was paid out in the last two years.maybe some of hose individuals should give back what maybe they didnot deserve,i will finish with this,my job as a letter carrier has been the most rewarding job i have ever had,and i donot mean financially.i help people and they help me,that what this country was and has been aboutfor two hundred plus years.i feel that give control back to the usps that absconded by congress,go back to the postal service,banish the postal corp concept,and let the front line,clerks and carriers do what we do best.get all the mail out every day,and staff every window that has no clerk at to help expide the customer at the counters experience.

additinally why is it that when an individual walks into a united parcel service store,and the end result is ups takes their money and then uses the postal service to deliver some of their items.ironicaly numerous time i have seen a parcel delivered to an vacant house by ups,this is something we dont do.i have personally retrieved these so as not to be stolen,returned them to my post office and them sit for days or weeks,because ups is embarassed to come pick there mistake.we have a program where we check on certain idividuals,so as to insure their safety and well being.these are elderly.homebound,invalids,etc.there is no doubt im my mind,that in an epidemic situation,we the usps,employees will be called on to insure our customers,receive whatever that may dispersed in an emergency.as a letter carrier i know that i am an ambassador for the government i love,and i reflect this always so my fellow americans, at least can have a feeling that their government does care about them.the hiarky of the usps in my opinion inflated numbers.took bonuses,and now we are in dire straights as they put it.i would like to know how much in bonuses to management was paid out in the last two years.maybe some of hose individuals should give back what maybe they didnot deserve,i will finish with this,my job as a letter carrier has been the most rewarding job i have ever had,and i donot mean financially.i help people and they help me,that what this country was and has been aboutfor two hundred plus years.i feel that give control back to the usps that absconded by congress,go back to the postal service,banish the postal corp concept,and let the front line,clerks and carriers do what we do best.get all the mail out every day,and staff every window that has no clerk at to help expide the customer at the counters experience.

additinally why is it that when an individual walks into a united parcel service store,and the end result is ups takes their money and then uses the postal service to deliver some of their items.ironicaly numerous time i have seen a parcel delivered to an vacant house by ups,this is something we dont do.i have personally retrieved these so as not to be stolen,returned them to my post office and them sit for days or weeks,because ups is embarassed to come pick there mistake.we have a program where we check on certain idividuals,so as to insure their safety and well being.these are elderly.homebound,invalids,etc.there is no doubt im my mind,that in an epidemic situation,we the usps,employees will be called on to insure our customers,receive whatever that may dispersed in an emergency.as a letter carrier i know that i am an ambassador for the government i love,and i reflect this always so my fellow americans, at least can have a feeling that their government does care about them.the hiarky of the usps in my opinion inflated numbers.took bonuses,and now we are in dire straights as they put it.i would like to know how much in bonuses to management was paid out in the last two years.maybe some of hose individuals should give back what maybe they didnot deserve,i will finish with this,my job as a letter carrier has been the most rewarding job i have ever had,and i donot mean financially.i help people and they help me,that what this country was and has been aboutfor two hundred plus years.i feel that give control back to the usps that absconded by congress,go back to the postal service,banish the postal corp concept,and let the front line,clerks and carriers do what we do best.get all the mail out every day,and staff every window that has no clerk at to help expide the customer at the counters experience.